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Enya, birth name Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin,
sometimes presented in the media as Enya Brennan, was born on 17 May 1961, in Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland, and is a four-time Grammy Award-winning singer, an Academy Award-nominated songwriter, and Ireland’s best-selling solo artist and one of that nation’s best known musicians.
As a musical group, Enya represents a partnership between three people: Enya herself, who composes and performs the music; Nicky Ryan, who produces the albums, and Roma Ryan, who writes the lyrics in various languages.
Enya achieved a breakthrough in her career in 1988 with the album Watermark, which featured the hit song “Orinoco Flow” (sometimes known as “Sail Away”). “Orinoco Flow” topped the charts in the United Kingdom, and the album sold eight million copies. Three years later, she followed with another hit album, Shepherd Moons, which sold ten million copies and earned Enya her first Grammy Award. The songs “On Your Shore” and “Exile” (from Watermark) and “Epona” (from Enya) were featured in the 1991 film L.A. Story. “Ebudae” was also featured on the soundtrack to the Robin Williams film Toys, while the 1990 film Green Card had “River”, “Watermark”, and “Storms In Africa”. “Book Of Days” was featured prominently in the movie Far and Away.
In 1992, a re-mastered version of the Enya album was released as The Celts including a longer, modified version of “Portrait (Out of the Blue)”. Four years after Shepherd Moons, she released the Grammy-winning The Memory of Trees (1995). Singles released from the album were “Anywhere Is” and “On My Way Home”.
In 1997, Enya released her greatest hits collection, Paint The Sky With Stars: The Best of Enya, which featured two new songs: “Paint the Sky With Stars” and “Only If…”; “Only If…” later became a single. (“Only If You Want To”, is an early version of “Only If…”. It appears on a promotional Japanese CD called, The Best of Enya, and does not include the French lyrics.She was offered the chance to compose the score for James Cameron’s 1997 film Titanic, but declined. The eventual choice of Norwegian vocalist Sissel Kyrkjebø, whose style is similar to Enya’s, resulted in work that some sources erroneously credited to Enya, although in interviews, the songs were officially credited as the sound of Clannad.
A 1989 recording of Enya singing an Irish Language version of “Silent Night” (“Oíche Chiúin”) has been reissued many times over the years, including The Christmas EP (which otherwise contained several non-holiday related previously issued recordings by Enya) and the 1997 edition of the charity album A Very Special Christmas.
Although her Grammys were for “Best New Age Album”, Enya does not personally classify her music as belonging to the New Age genre. When asked what genre she would classify her music as belonging to, she would reply, “Enya.”
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Enya (1987)This self-titled release from Enya was recorded for a 1986 documentary called “The Celts” and was heard on the documentary. This album unfortunately was not noticed in public when first released which is a shame because this is a really beautiful and haunting album. The only problem I have is that it’s very short. This original album runs at only 39 and a half minutes and leaves you wanting more. |
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Watermark  Enya’s 1988 recording Watermark achieved landmark success with her groundbreaking use of multi-tracking technology to fuse new age and Celtic themes and instrumentation. The meticulous production defines her sound and achieves continuity even while weaving together tender ballads, piano pieces, massively layered vocal harmonies, and symphonic synthesizer movements. Although Enya’s pristine voice isn’t especially strong, her lead vocals possess a vulnerability that reflects the lyrics’ sense of personal searching. From the ubiquitous, frothy single “Orinoco Flow” (which was used to hawk Crystal Light on TV) to the hard, bold edge of “Cursum Perficio,” Enya’s style remains fresh and engaging today. |
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Shepherd Moons The success of her first international hit, Watermark, confirmed Enya as less a singer or songwriter than a sonic architect: working with producer Nicky Ryan and his wife, lyricist Roma Ryan, the classically-trained pianist built vaulting cathedrals of sound, framed by luminous piano, shimmering synthesizer orchestrations, and, above all, the seemingly infinite layers of vocal harmonies she plied on every song. The deeply romantic Celtic pop on its 1991 successor, Shepherd Moons, sustains the same spectrum of hushed reverie and surging, rhapsodic releases, as well as its mix of ballads, floating midtempo pieces, and forays into Celtic and Latin–and it’s every bit as seductive. The terminally hip will sneer, but it’s no accident that “Caribbean Blue,” the best known song here, managed to sneak onto modern rock, top 40, “adult alternative” and public radio playlists. |
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The Celts The best place to start with the best is at the beginning. Enya’s The Celts (identical to the original 1980s release simply called Enya) is a beautiful collection of music. Enya is not an artist where you just get the “Best of” album. Every CD is a best of in itself. |
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The Memory of TreesTo many people, Enya has become synonymous with new age music. Her haunting voice, clear and crisp above richly woven musical arrangements and adaptations, represents some of the best in the genre. Her performances on The Memory of Trees justify the Celtic songster’s reputation. Songs like “China Roses” and “Hope Has a Place” complement the simple elegance of traditional folk music with luxuriantly layered instrumentation and highly crafted studio production. The ultimate effect is dazzling, to be sure. Whether she sings in English, Gaelic, or Latin, Enya conveys a profound, if slightly disconcerting, mix of spirituality and sensuality. |
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Paint the Sky with Stars This is definitely the best of Enya and if you are not acquainted with Enya, this is probably the CD where you would want to start. The music is versatile, from the staccato sounds of Orinoco Flow to the smooth and flowing sounds of China Roses. In places the music is simple, in others intricate, but always enjoyable and pleasant to hear. This CD is 16 songs from various other works. Some have made it into films other have been a hit with radio air play, but all are well performed, emotional, heartfelt and enjoyable to hear. The CD also has songs which have a Celtic feel (a style where Enya gained her start in music with her family). So, sample to songs above and hear why Enya has become so popular in the last decade. Her music is well worth the investment. |
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A Day without Rain Remarkably, A Day Without Rain, Enya’s fourth release since her 1988 breakthrough, Watermark, establishes new artistic heights for the gifted Irish vocalist and keyboardist. The project, polished and refined over a five-year period in the company of longtime collaborators Nicky Ryan (producer) and Roma Ryan (lyricist), may qualify as her best yet–a radiant, beatific collection of works that command attention with their cathedral-like resonance as they soothe your spirit with some of Enya’s loveliest, most graceful voicings ever. |
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Amarantine The triumvirate of Enya, lyricist Roma Ryan, and producer Nicky Ryan work the formula they perfected on Watermark, layering her voice in lush choirs pushed along by pizzicato synth strings, swooning orchestral pads, and harpsichord arpeggios. On tracks like “Less Than a Pearl” and “Drifting,” Enya flirts with a timeless sound born in gothic chants and hymns. The former is one of three songs that she sings in Roma Ryan’s fictitious language of Loxian. It seems to free her, especially on “The River Sings,” a veritable rave-up where she gets the tribal choir going in the style of Scottish mouth music. Amarantine sounds like it was born in cloistered solitude, self-referentially echoing Enya albums past. |
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